Kindergarten

Today was a big milestone. O started kindergarten.

 

I think we were nervous for him, he was a champ. All smiles. Fifi cried for him the entire ride back to the house. It's strange to be home without him there.

When I picked him up and he was all smiles, we barely got to the parking lot and he was all tears. The day exhausted him. He is hanging out in his room playing on the ipod.

What a crazy new adventure we are on... and what a big kid my baby boy is now.

New School

Lots of kids are starting back to school right now, it's just that time of year. And I know many of them are starting a new school, either for the first time ever or just a new school to them...
We fall into the "new school to them" category.

 

With the move to the opposite end of town, it became to hard to commute to and from the day care that the kids have been at since each was 12 weeks old. It was really sad to leave behind not just all the friends, but the teachers and staff too. I made them all cookies and a big thank you note. I hope they know just how much their daily work of caring for my babies meant to us.

I looked at several daycare centers near the house and my office. Some had room for one of the kids, but not the other. Some just didn't feel right. And so I finally settled on one that had the best playground, great looking classrooms and very friendly staff. They also speak Spanish and English to the kids all day long. I liked that a lot- I would love if my kids became bilingual, even just a little bit. I also chose the school because of a familiar face. One of the teachers from the old school had recently started working and running this new one! I was thrilled.

 

Monday was our first day at the new place. O is officially in "Pre-K" (what the!???) and Fifi is right across the hall from him with the 'twos'.  The first day's drop off went really well, to the point that I almost got sad that they weren't sad... (Crazy, I know). O actually told me, as he saddled up on the swing, "Okay Mom, you can go now. I'm fine."
I guess that's what you want, kids who are ready to take on the world without you hovering over them.

Tuesday's drop off was a little bit harder. Fifi realized what was going down as I said goodbye and I forgot her lovie, "Meow-meow Kitty" at home, rookie move. O got a little teary when he hugged me goodbye and made me promise to call him in a little while. I did, and he was happily playing with legos with his new buddy. Fifi had adopted a new baby doll and was happy again.... all is right in the world.

It isn't easy to have to drop your children off at a day care center, no matter how good of a place you find. It is so strange to think they have a little world away from you, just like I do away from them. sigh. being a mama is hard, hard, hard. I hope these drop offs get a little bit easier... though I know I will always be leaving a little piece of my heart with each of them when I walk away...

224:366, First Cut

Someone got her first hair cut on Sunday.
There may or may not have been a sucker bribe involved.
And some DJ Lance on the iphone. For distraction.

Trimmed by the same person who did my first hair cut...

Thank you D. we love you!

I keep having to do double takes when I look at her now.
 I knew it would change the way she looks, but now she looks like a big girl and not my baby girl so much.

sigh.... it really does go so fast.

164:366, the graduate

Let's just say I have officially entered the phase in life where a kindergarten graduation makes me get all choked up...
This girl is the oldest of the cousins and to think that she is heading into the first grade throws me for a loop. I distinctly remember holding her for the very first time. I remember it almost as clearly as I do holding my own two. I think it was so vivid because I had just lost our first pregnancy and then she was born. 

 I was full of hurt and anger and empty, but holding her, it filled me with hope and love and joy. Her tiny body in my arms set my mind straight that I really did want to be a mama.
E. is a beautiful, smart, girly-girl/tomboy who keeps all the other cousins in line and all of us laughing along the way.
We love you so much E and we can't wait to see who you become.

on a lighter note...

When you have a Friday like this, you need to have a weekend like this....

We got this scoot bike for O at Christmas time, he is finally tall enough for his feet to touch the ground. He wants to take it everywhere, and wear that helmet ALWAYS, to the store, to the restaurant.

He was singing a great little song when I took this- I SO wish my DSLR had video, it was pretty priceless.

"Singin', eeeeneemeeneee, mine-eee-momomo, catch a whipper-whapper, but the toe-o-o-o. If he hollers, hollers, let him go. sigin', eeeeneemeeneee, mine-eee-momomo,"

 

Breakfast at the Gold'n'Silver.
A favorite greasy spoon of mine.
It's been around forever and was recently featured in "Dinners,Drive-ins and Dives".
The staff is always nice and they don't freak at loud kids or huge messes. Plus, the people watching is fantastic.
I was thinking it would be fun to do a photo project where I photographed the staff and clientele.

Mid-day, we split up and I went with Fifi to Truckee to hang out with family and Daddy took O to the GSR to play in the pool with his cousins.

The day was dotted with wonderful things. But, this part stuck out in my mind the most, Fifi taking some of her first steps. We decided to go to pizza and beer for dinner.
As we waited for our food, we let the kids run around.
She can only do one or two and then falls down, but she gets back up again and gives it another try. Everyone in the back patio was cheering her on, it was so sweet.

After dinner we loaded up the truck with blankets and pillows and lawn chairs and went to the drive in! I had never been and it was a fun way to spend the late evening. It might have been a little stressful when the kids were both screaming, but all in all it was a hoot. Of course, we saw "Car-car".

Sunday night we grilled corn and tri-tip and played in the back yard.

I am so glad he thinks pulling her around is as much fun as getting to ride.

These are the things that make it all worth it, really. I don't care how cheesy that sounds, it's true.

Upright

Ready,

Steady,

GOAL!!

Taking it to the bank

In an effort to encourage potty training, I had O paint his car bank the other day.

Every time he goes on the potty he gets a coin.

On the days he is at school, if he stays dry all day, he gets two coins to put in the bank that night.

I am using it as a way to

 

a) avoid the candy bribes for potty use,

 

b) learn the different names of the coins and how much each is worth,

 

c) and mix things up a bit to keep his motivation going.

He really is doing quite well with the whole thing.

He does have accidents, but he also insists some nights to go to bed without a pull-up or a diaper on,
"Just my undies, Mom".

Number two seems to be more tricky to get him to do on the potty for some reason. I was reading that boy have a harder time because they have to learn two different methods in the bathroom unlike girls who just sit to do all their business.

Maybe it's because peeing on a tree is fun and easy (yes, we are those parents)
pooing is sort of scary with the threat of falling in the bowl.

I am really proud of my little man for the progress we are making on this milestone achievement.

I am also really excited to not have two kids in diapers!